A striking story that steals the spotlight.
A boy ignores warnings not to play near the beach in this bilingual story that draws upon Inuit lore.
It’s springtime in Nunavut, Canada, and children on Baffin Island are enjoying “the promise of long summer days and warm sunshine.” After an argument with his parents about school, David goes for a walk. Annoyingly, his younger brother, Samuel, tags along. David heads to the beach and starts running out onto the chunks of floating ice, despite adults’ warnings—after all, kids sometimes slip beneath the ice pans and disappear. Eventually he realizes how far he’s traveled from shore—and that he’s not alone. Two terrifying creatures have emerged from the sea, and soon David is caught in a tug of war between the monsters. David, who’s “tired of listening to adults,” dismisses his grandfather’s stories about the creatures—and he must deal with grief and guilt as consequences. The authors, co-founders of the Inuit-owned publisher, draw from traditional Inuit stories about the child-snatching qallupilluit, seamlessly melding contemporary and timeless elements. Each two-page spread features a full-page illustration facing a page of text with Inuktitut at the top and English beneath. The masterful, painterly art by Inuk illustrator Kyak-Monteith balances the bright white of the ice, the dark blue of the sea, and the emerging spring vegetation. Glimpses of houses and home interiors add to the sense of place, and the visual interpretation of the qallupilluit is distinct, memorable, and deliciously ghoulish.
A striking story that steals the spotlight. (Horror. 12-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9781772273601
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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